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Son of former MLB player in coma after being hit in the face by ball

Jason Lockhart, son of former Atlanta Braves infielder Keith Lockhart, is in a medically induced coma after he was hit in the face with a baseball.

The 15-year-old was hit during a baseball tournament on June 17. Lockhart was attempting to cross home plate when he was hit by the ball.

Doctors initially believed Lockhart had a broken nose. A few days after the incident he began bleeding and underwent a CT scan. That scan revealed Lockhart had a tear in his nose that was the cause of the bleeding.

Lockhart’s sister, Sydney, sent out the following picture on Twitter four days after the incident.

Jason Lockhart was hit in the face by a ball during a baseball tournament. (Screenshot via @SydneyLockhart on Twitter)
Jason Lockhart was hit in the face by a ball during a baseball tournament. (Screen shot via @SydneyLockhart on Twitter)

On Friday, doctors placed Lockhart in a medically induced coma to reduce his movement in order to prevent further bleeding. Lockhart was scheduled to undergo another surgery on Monday, but it was pushed back after his body wasn’t recovering fast enough.

Lockhart underwent that surgery on Tuesday, according to WXIA in Atlanta. It was his fifth procedure in nine days.

Once Lockhart came out of surgery on Tuesday, Sydney sent out a message on Facebook saying doctors located an artery that was bleeding, and that the family is “confident” that was the area responsible for her brother’s current condition.

Jason Lockhart's sister, Sydney, gave an update on his condition Tuesday. (Screenshot via Sydney Lockhart's Facebook page)
Jason Lockhart’s sister, Sydney, gave an update on his condition Tuesday. (Screen shot via Sydney Lockhart’s Facebook page)

According to the post, doctors will re-evaluate Lockhart in 24 hours. If he’s healing well, they will remove his breathing tube.

The Braves put out a statement on Monday, offering prayers to Jason and his family.

Lockhart’s father, Keith, played six seasons with the Braves and is currently a scout with the Chicago Cubs. He’s been sharing messages of encouragement for Jason on his Twitter account over the past few days.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik

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